The only reason for the two stars is the lovely outdoor seating. If you like to sit and chat with friends over coffee or lunch, it is a great place. Unfortunately, the food and the service are not good. The pastries look beautiful but they don’t taste good at all. Very unfortunate. The food is not good at all. We’ve tried a few of the dishes for lunch/brunch and they were either barely edible or not at all. Example of poor service: Breakfast is served until 3pm. At 10am, I go to order and ask for a glass of orange juice. She turns back, looks at the nearly empty pitcher, then returns to me and says, «Well, we don’t have any. The pitcher is empty.» Really? How about ask them to make some more? This could be a five star place if they would take care of the food they serve and provide better service.
Alison M.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Palo Alto, CA
This used to be our favorite place to eat when we went to the movies. However we had to give up going there as all of a sudden the quality of food took a serious turn downhill. Fresh potatoes for French fries were swapped out for frozen ones, salad on plates didn’t look fresh, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich had limp lettuce in it. The sandwiches just stopped having the sane fresh quality they used to have and the soups became flavorless. I have no complaints about the staff. They have always been unfailingly polite and helpful. What a shame, we loved this place for years. Wonder if there has been a change of management?
Amina-Louise J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Brooklyn, NY
This is such a CUTE place! I came here a few months ago to hang out with friends, but unfortunately I can’t remember what I ordered! I remember enjoying catching up with my friends so this had a lovely vibe to it… I think I’d better plan another trip to the west coast so I can pen down what I ordered lol
Bob F.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Belmont, CA
Pretty decent food. I had the Vegetarian on ciabatta sandwich and my wife had the split pea soup. Both were good(not great). Topped it off with a chocolate decadence dessert, also good(would have liked a slightly stronger chocolate flavor). The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful. We have not been here in a few years and will not be rushing to return.
Vivian L.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Mateo, CA
My go to place to grab something light before or after a movie. I enjoy eating there in the summertime a nice spot all year long.
L C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oakland, CA
Love the workers here. I mean, who’s doing the hiring knows his/hers stuff… Everyone is genuinely welcoming. There’s always smiles, the environment is relaxed and friendly(caters to all walks of life-men or women in suits, industrial workers, family’s with toddlers, teenagers, dogs… and cats(quite possible). The one tall male barista is the best, knows his craft very well. Makes the a memorable traditional macchiato. The chocolate cake is a treat, not too sweet and compliment well with my drink of choice. The wife enjoy herself here also. A lovely place to hangout all hours of the day.
Liz W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Sunnyvale, CA
This is one of my favorite places to go for a «mini date»(don’t want to spend much money, but want to get out of the house). I usually stick to coffee(Americano) and simple pastries, but I have had good luck with the few food items I’ve ordered(fish and chips, burger of the day). I’m not a large fan of their coffee freezes, but you’ll like them if you like the ones at Caffino. The line can get long, but the cashiers are pretty fast, so I don’t have to wait more than 5 minutes to give my order. It’s a good place to hang out at — it has a nice ambience and there’s usually seating SOMEWHERE. The staff is very friendly!
Claudine V.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
I was excited to come here and try their pistachio cake since everyone was raving about it. I should have ordered the lemon bar instead. The cake was fine however it didn’t taste like true pistachios. More like an artificial pistachio flavor. My hunny’s cake 3 layered mouse cake was better I should have tried the pudding instead. Oh well maybe I’ll come back if I’m back in the area. Atleast this place closes at 1 am.
Kelsey C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Redwood City, CA
I ordered a cake for a gender reveal party and they did a beautiful job! Delicious cake and the PINK(!!!) on the inside was perfectly hidden by white icing along the edges. Lots of compliments on the taste and moistness. I had to wait about 10 minutes when picking it up because they were working on the final details. I love the work they put into it! Even when the restaurant was swamped they didn’t rush me and the cake out the door.
Renard M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Redwood City, CA
My wife and I really liked this place. Had passed it several times while in the area, but decided to finally give it a chance. We were definitely not disappointed. I am a big fan of choices and there are an abundance of choices here. There are any number of interesting options, from pastries to foreign drink options. I had the prosciutto and swiss baguette and it was definitely solid. The fries were tasty as well. I went with an orange cookie from their assortment of pastries and thought it was really good. With the number of choices they have in this department, this is a good reason to keep going back and trying new/different items. Our food was prepared quickly and the outdoor seating area was the perfect scene for a quick casual dinner. Excellent option if you have time to kill before a movie across the street or if you are just looking for something other than another inexplicable trip to Chipotle. If you’d rather eat something you will remember, go here instead. Will definitely go back at some point.
Ali L.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Lafayette, CA
Awful spot for group meals, food was mediocre at best. A group of 6 of us went to La Tartine for lunch today and were beyond disappointed with the service. About 10 minutes after ordering, only 2 people got their food. It took another 15+ minutes for the rest of us to get our orders(and that was after walking inside to complain). The worst part is that it was happening to all the tables around us, and the servers + people behind the counter didn’t seem to give two sh*ts that we had been waiting so long. Not a single apology was given for the delay. I ordered the pear salad which was actually not too bad, except the dressing was almost un-edible. It tasted like stale red wine, diluted with olive oil. Luckily I tasted it before pouring it onto my salad. The same dressing comes with the mango salad. I recommend asking for a different dressing on the side if you order either of these. 1 star for the pear salad(un-dressed) +1 star for the free carrot cake tasting at the register(baked goods to-go may be the only way to go here)
Jennifer s.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Denver, CO
Okay seriously, I’m going to need this place to go somewhere. I have such a love/hate relationship. I LOVE the desserts but I HATE that I am here atleast once a week, I try to make up for it though by walking an hour and a half to get here. I’m not kidding lol. These desserts are so good it’s worth the walk and plus I’m burning all those calories I’m about to consume. We just moved to RWC and this place is so special to me as my boyfriend brought us here on our first date since we moved. Aweeee() All I have to say is if you see pistachio cake, order one, and get one for me as well lol! It’s like nothing I’ve ever eaten before, probably because the gods above made it. It’s soooo delicious! I ordered the chocolate chip cheesecake today and I wasn’t a fan :(the«frosting» part was sour cream. I’m not kidding. We will continue to come back and try new things and I am extremely excited to order something other than dessert after looking at these others reviews
Casey B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Davis, CA
My mom and I came here for brunch. Order: California Scramble with Sourdough toast Tartine Scramble with baguette Each scramble is served with hash browns which were extra crispy but it didn’t seem to match the feel of the café. Country potatoes would be more appropriate because hash browns makes me think diner food. The cheese on the scramble wasn’t completely melted and some pieces of bread weren’t toasted. A meh experience but the service is good
Jesse G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Los Altos, CA
What did I get from La Tartine? Honesty and integrity. As soon as I was walked through the door, I was greeted with the sweet melodic tunes of some classic Rolling Stones, and employees who seemed happy to be working. I was immediately enjoying my time spent there, even though I had just eaten at Chipotle and was not interested in buying a desert. As I browsed through some of their deserts with my girlfriend, who was originally the one who came for a pastry, I noticed the Banana Cream Tart. Thrilled at the idea of a miniature banana cream pie, I decided to ask an employee named Alan for his honest opinion of the Tart on a scale of 10. He responded by saying it was a solid 8. See, if he responded saying 10, I knew he would be lying to try and sell the Tart to me. In this case I would have purchased nothing. If he said 9, I most likely would have assumed he was exaggerating because the price was too low for it to be a 9. But he said 8, so I decided to try it out. Alan was awesome and personable throughout the whole endeavor, and I felt like it was a very pleasant exchange of cash for product. An excellent product, might I add, as the Tart was definitely at LEAST an 8 out of 10, but I would give it an 8.5. I then got to enjoy the rest of my Tart to some more classic music with the employees closing the shop with smiles on their faces. Thank you La Tartine, thank you.
Loryn F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
Delicious pastries and coffees in a cute Euro-style café. I recommend stopping after a nice dinner in downtown Redwood City or Woodside and grabbing dessert and espresso. There is plenty of seating for groups and PLENTY of yummy pastries, cakes, cookies, and mousses to choose from.
Ada C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Milpitas, CA
Came here on a brunch double date and I’m so glad my friend found this little treasure! Even though this place was located right near the theater and it was peak brunch hour, we had no trouble finding parking within the block; and to our pleasant surprise, this place was not jam packed. My biggest gripe about brunch is usually the long waits, but not here! We came, ordered, and grabbed one of the many available tables. Our food got to us quite quickly and then we were off munching away. I’ll be honest, I didn’t order any of the fancy stuff, just the french toast with a side of hashbrowns, but I swear the french toast alone was delicious enough for me to return. However, do you know what the true winner of Café La Tartine is? The baked goods. My friend and I had eyes larger than our stomachs, and we couldn’t help but order a bunch of pastries to bring home. I got the éclair, orange cookie, chocolate mousse, and bread pudding. Seriously, every pastry made my eyes roll back out of sheer pleasure, yes, their pastries ARE that good. If you’re not a brunch person, at least give their pastries a try(especially that chocolate mousse) because they will not disappoint.
Jane P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Millbrae, CA
Café La Tartine has gotten better, in my opinion. First of all, they no longer serve my hot coffee in glass cups. Secondly, the BLT croissant sandwich has been a lot more consistent. Most of all though, I’ve been coming almost every weekend to order a 2 egg scramble with bacon and toasted whole wheat bread. It also comes with pretty good hashbrowns. You can order a side of jalapeños for an extra kick. :)
Nadia H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Redwood City, CA
Cute spot, convenient location across from the movie theater in RWC. It’s also got a pleasant interior for a cozy coffee/pastry with a friend. This review is of the pastries and coffee. We went post-dinner and didn’t try their menu. I love the glass cases with all the pastries! A fun midday or post-dinner adventure. They had a pretty broad selection with coffee pastries like eclairs and croissants to desserty-pastries like mini cakes and tarts. The coffee was actually pretty good. I had a cappuccino. All that being said, the pastries we tried were fine. Not great. Given this café seems to be specializing in pastries, if you can’t make them great, you’re a 3 star spot in my book. I had: — the mini cheesecake — the chocolate covered strawberry was the star here. I could have eaten 5 of those. The cheesecake flavor was just alright, and definitely lost something without the graham cracker crust. — the lemon bar — fair. I make these at home, and they definitely managed to get a nice intense lemon flavor which isn’t easy, but the texture was a little off. Too dry and gummy. Could have just been an off batch, who knows. I’d definitely go back and give it another go when I’m in the mood for French pastries. But there’s a few spots in Palo Alto that seem to do the pastry-itself much better.
Janelle S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Gilroy, CA
Is this place affiliated with Tartine in SF!!! Line up to order then deal with the first come, first serve seating. Sunday late morning was crazy busy but not as painful as I would have thought with two hungry 9 year old boys. Crab Omelette: decent. Fishy smelling with a strong taste, however offset the mushrooms and tomatoes. The«whoa factor» for me was the cream cheese. That warm creamy cheesy flavor, especially in a warm egg Omelette was foreign to me. Not too sure how it made me feel. The service was good but very cafeteria style so don’t expect to get waited on. The desserts looked amazing!!! Will be back!
Elaine N.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
A nice place to get dessert and drinks. Conveniently located right across from the theatre. Great hang out spot with indoor and outdoor seating. Very spacious.